Free Downloads Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History Of The World's Most Famous Heroine
2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List This close look at Wonder Woman’s history portrays a complicated heroine who is more than just a female Superman with a golden lasso and bullet-deflecting bracelets. The original Wonder Woman was ahead of her time, advocating female superiority and the benefits of matriarchy in the 1940s. At the same time, her creator filled the comics with titillating bondage imagery, and Wonder Woman was tied up as often as she saved the world. In the 1950s, Wonder Woman begrudgingly continued her superheroic mission, wishing she could settle down with her boyfriend instead, all while continually hinting at hidden lesbian leanings. While other female characters stepped forward as women’s lib took off in the late 1960s, Wonder Woman fell backwards, losing her superpowers and flitting from man to man. Ms. magazine and Lynda Carter restored Wonder Woman’s feminist strength in the 1970s, turning her into a powerful symbol as her checkered past was quickly forgotten. Exploring this lost history adds new dimensions to the world’s most beloved female character, and Wonder Woman Unbound delves into her comic book and its spin-offs as well as the myriad motivations of her creators to showcase the peculiar journey that led to Wonder Woman’s iconic status.
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Chicago Review Press (April 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613749090
ISBN-13: 978-1613749098
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #251,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #75 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Comics & Graphic Novels #90 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > History & Price Guides #481 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > Feminist Theory
“She isn’t a great character despite her contradictions but because of them. Wonder Woman has so many facets and incarnations, and within them lies a character who is both bizarre and brilliant. To forget her past is to miss what makes Wonder Woman such a great hero.”From Wonder Woman Unbound. I grew up on Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. The Wonder Woman of my youth was strong, confident, smart, beautiful, and kind. She was, in truth, the role model my generation needed. She encouraged us to take care of ourselves, but also to take care of each other. And like many of my generation, I’ve lamented Hollywood’s inability to produce a Wonder Woman movie (or, to be honest, any decent female superhero movie.)Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World’s Most Famous Heroine is an entertaining and thoughtful history of the creation and evolution of the most iconic female character is comics. The author begins where all good comic book stories begin: the origin story. In 1941, psychologist and inventor William Moulton Marston (the creator of the systolic blood pressure test, the precursor of the polygraph test) set out to create a comic book heroine that not only would appeal to women, but also prepare young men for a feminist future. Marston’s philosophy was strongly rooted in the belief of female superiority, and he believed that one day women would take their place as the leaders of the world. Wonder Woman, then, was originally meant as a guide to teach boys to submit to female authority.Author Tim Hanley does a marvelous job of digging not only into the history of Wonder Woman, but the mindset of her creator.
Wonder Woman is an iconic character that deserves a real biography rather than this college essay turned book. The author seems rather enamored with the "golden age" writings as half the book is given over to it. While the origins of the character are discussed, the truth is that comic writing in the 40's and 50's were simplistic and plots were not overly thought of as needing too much storyline. The creator was William Moulton Marston and though there is a little biographical info on him it is rather sparse. The silver and bronze ages (early 60's through early 80's) are generally dismissed as low points with the occasional story showcasing the character in a positive light. The few years where she is depowered in the early seventies are given their own chapter is rather unnecessary. For the author the television show with Lynda Carter was the best thing to happen for the character and it's all been downhill from there. The modern age is given very short shrift. "The mundane modern age" is the term given by the author. This section of the book starts on page 225 and then runs to the end of the book seventeen pages later. !!!The author basically writes that mostly everything from 1985-2012 is crap. This book was supposed to be a biographical sketch of the character. What that means is that even though the author is entitled to his opinion, a bio means the facts should be given unbiased. There have been great storylines and artwork related to Wonder Woman in this period. The Perez Era (1987-1992) gets a brief nod of approval along with "what could have been", and sales did not stagnate for twenty years as the author claims. No publisher would lose money for two decades on any character!
I’m not a comic book fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve enjoyed enough superhero television shows and feature films in my days to appreciate a laidback history of the most famous superheroine of all time, Wonder Woman. My childhood included the occasional coloring book and Lynda Carter rerun, but other than that, I was completely unfamiliar with the character. Despite being an American cultural icon, she doesn’t have a movie that would familiarize the general public with her story. Nor did she really have much of a following after her “Golden Age.” Comic book historian and blogger Tim Hanley explains why in Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World’s Most Famous Heroine (Chicago Review Press, 2014).While many people think of DC Comic’s Wonder Woman as just a female Superman – I even called her “Superwoman” the first time I saw her! – the origin story of her comic book series is a lot more complicated than that. Creator William Moulton Marston saw an opportunity to brainwash…er, educate the young male population on his particular views about female superiority, sexual bondage, and submission. Later, under new supervision, the ian morphed in and out of pitiful female stereotypes: emotional, vindictive, shallow, and – ironic of all – someone obsessed with pleasing the man in her life. Despite a short-lived revival as an icon for the 1970s feminist movement, Wonder Woman never regained popularity, and has all but faded from popular memory save the occasional t-shirt.The author has clearly made a valuable contribution to comic book historical research, yet I found that Wonder Woman Unbound is best enjoyed if it’s not treated like a scholarly tome.
Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine Minecraft Heroine: A Minecraft Heroine's Diary (Minecraft, Minecraft Female Hero, Minecraft Girl, Minecraft Books, Minecraft Diaries, Minecraft Diary, Minecraft Book for Kids) Curious Baby Music Play (Curious George Board Book & CD) (Curious Baby Curious George) Wonder Woman Classic: I Am Wonder Woman (I Can Read Level 2) How to Be a Heroine: Or, What I've Learned from Reading too Much Keep Curious and Carry a Banana: Words of Wisdom from the World of Curious George God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance Nihil Unbound: Enlightenment and Extinction The Unbound Soul: Applied Spirituality Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder La lección de August: Wonder [August's Lesson: Wonder] I Wonder About Allah: Book One (I Wonder About Islam) The Secret History of Wonder Woman Curious George Curious About Phonics 12 Book Set The Luger Story: The Standard History of he World's Most Famous Handgun Bridges: A History of the World's Most Famous and Important Spans Harley-Davidson: A History of the World's Most Famous Motorcycle (Shire Library USA) Voices of the Foreign Legion: The History of the World's Most Famous Fighting Corps
